If you can get fresh minced clams from your fish monger, well go for it, but you can buy "baby clams" in a can of any size and no one will ever know. Trust me. Further, you don't need to get all crazy with clam shells. You can make these in small muffin pans or in a 9x9 baking dish and spoon them out. No problem.
Ingredients:
3-4 cans of diced clams - about 1 pound net however you buy it.
2-3 cooking peppers - those long light green guys
1 bunch of scallions or a red onion or a leek /// up to you
Italian flavored bread crumbs - or make your own...whatever
parsley, black pepper, a little salt, garlic powder - you can use hot sauce if you want but I'm not for it
bacon, diced...4-5 slices
butter (STICK OR MORE!)
Get a good sauce pan hot but not burning hot...and melt a couple tbls. of butter.
Saute the onion and peppers...just so they soften and with a slight crunch.
This is the trick....drain all the clams and reserve the liquid.
Add the clams ONLY and then add, bit by bit, the liquid and the bread crumbs
The trick is to end up with the consistency you would like ... should resemble a wet stuffing
Season with pepper and garlic powder to taste.... a little heat is fine so let go with the pepper a bit.
add Parsley for coloring and taste..you can use dried but fresh is better...just very finely chopped regardless.
The deal here is that your ingredients (including the clams) are controlled cooked and ready before you finishing them for presentation.
A NOTE ABOUT BUTTER. --- this is a butter friendly dish. You can use up the stick of butter as you go or just melt it and mix it in as you go...or you can use heart friendly butter substitutes to your liking. Normally this would mke about 18 clam shells full so the amount of butter per serviing isn't a lot. This isn't, however, the place to skimp.
Make your portions in either clam shells or pan..whatever. DON'T pack them in. ..never compress ...just spoon them in. Put a few diced pieced of bacon over the top..sprinkle.....and with the remaining clam juice, add it around to keep the stuffing moist.
Pop into an oven at 300...they are ready when the bacon renders.
You will never have a "tough" clam or a bready mixture. Cook everything under control and the family will eat every bit.